


wheel of fortune

by lethargicProfessor



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Bookman!Kanda, Bookman!Tiedoll, CROW!Lavi, Gen, Order Chief!Mana, Pre-Canon, Second Exorcist!Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23941477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lethargicProfessor/pseuds/lethargicProfessor
Summary: The wheel of fortune has always been considered a signifier of change.ORWhat things might have been, in another world.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	wheel of fortune

**Author's Note:**

> This work is not to be reproduced or reposted on any site or app other than Archive of Our Own, Tumblr, and WordPress (LPWrites/LethargicProfessor). **This work is available for free on these sites, and is not to be used or sold for profit by any third parties or apps.**

In another world, Allen Walker wakes up bright and early with a smile on his face. It’ll be a rough day, just like any other at the Black Order, but the promise of breakfast and warmth, the calm before the ruckus of the day, makes it almost worth it.

It’s habit that takes him from his room to the chief’s office, though anywhere else his sense of direction is abysmal; Nea likes to joke that the only way Allen can find his way around is if Mana is in the vicinity or if there’s food for the taking. It makes him flush red like his arm, but he has yet to prove the scientists wrong.

Mana is sleeping on his desk when Allen walks in, hand draped loosely over the small metal statue of a dog that takes residence at the front of his desk in lieu of a nameplate. It’s tempting to let sleeping dogs lie, but there’s far too much to do. Howard’s due to be sent on another mission, and if he remembers correctly, there are new exorcists who are joining soon. There’s been rumors, too, of something brewing in the horizon, solid enough to bring it to Mana’s attention sooner rather than later.

Allen clears his throat and leans over, pinching at his father’s cheeks and pulling at his hair and clothes, fighting a smile as Mana slowly wakes. “Good morning~!” 

* * *

In another world, Howard Link trains before the sun comes up, silent and dedicated, ignoring the black feathers that litter his vision on the periphery. He has a goal, and he’s never been one to fail at his endeavors. He pretends the feathers don’t exist, and goes through his warm ups, muscle memory carrying him through as his mind wanders. He thinks of a group of people whose faces he can’t remember, of laughter and promises whispered in darkness. The promises he’s yet to fulfill.

He contemplates just _leaving_ , just for a moment, leaving behind his Innocence and his life, such as it is, and continuing his mission on foot. Logically though, he knows that’d be a death sentence in more ways than one. He thought staying at the Order would help him accomplish things faster, give him access to more locations, more opportunities to find them, but he’s running out of time with nothing to show for it. The promise weighs heavy on his mind.

He finishes training at the same time he always does, the marks on his chest burning as they ensure his body’s in perfect condition for the task he was made for, and fights the resentment that threatens to escape. Instead of giving in, he collects himself, taking a minute to write in his journal, though the message within its pages is always the same.

_Someday, I’ll find you all._

* * *

In another world, Lenalee Lee is busy on the road, trailing after her master, the weight of innocence heavy on her legs, a heavy burden on her shoulders while he explains what the Black Order requires, and what she’ll need to do once she arrives.

He talks of the people, the Finders and Scientists working side by side with the Exorcists with a kind of fond familiarity, a kind of wistfulness that makes envy twinge in her heart, a part of her hating this other world her brother has been a part of that she hasn’t. It’s not that she’s never had that with others; it’s that someone out there has a part of him that she doesn’t. It’s infuriating, until the wistfulness solidifies into a sadness that speaks volumes.

“You’re really not coming with me then?” Lenalee asks, and doesn’t bother to hide her frown. Komui’s been everything to her, the only family she’s known for years now, and the thought of being away is...daunting to say the least. She isn’t sure he’ll manage any better; they’ve been through thick and thin for years now, and neither one is good with change.

Komui grimaces, shrugging feebly as his golem takes flight at the disturbance, watching Lenalee with a look she can’t quite place. “You’ll understand some day,” he says, the air heavy with a promise she’s not sure she wants to see through.

* * *

In another world, Kanda is a code name, a record that won’t be the last, irritable and sullen and always watching. He observes, though it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before. Humans are such a predictable bunch, after all. It doesn’t matter that he’s a soldier this time around, and despite the old man’s warnings, he knows this won’t be any different.

Tiedoll hums, sketching as he waits for their meeting, the very picture of an insipid, doddery old man. If only they could see the sharpness in his eyes, see beyond the mask he’s set up. That would be a sight he would kill to see.

“What do you think, Yuu?” The old man asks, turning his picture towards the younger man. To anyone else, they’d see an impressively detailed landscape, somewhere outside of Portugal, their last record. The beach and the water are cross-hatched and shaded in a way that gives it the feel of a photograph instead of drawing.

Kanda sees the language of the Bookmen, written into the lines and smudges in a way impossible for any normal person to discern, and sees the test in the old man’s thin smile. “It’s Kanda,” he snaps, and sits back as the chief of the Black Order enters, brat in tow. Something about them rubs him the wrong way, and he knows deep in his gut, this record is going to be a pain.

* * *

In another world, Lavi’s gathering reports, his mentor’s words still ringing in his ears. The Black Order, for all that it works for them, is in danger of branching off. It’s time someone took care to straighten their trajectory before they fall off the path. it’s not one of the best jobs, being a guard dog, but he supposes it could be worse.

He trails after the old man from meeting to meeting, taking down minutes, information as fast as he can manage, gathering intelligence from what few loyal members they still have within the Order’s walls. They’ve made progress in this Holy War of theirs, but ever since that Mana Walker took control, things have veered towards something else entirely.

Word of the Bookmen joining seems to really kick things into gear, his mentor pushing him to scrounge for anything they can use to find a way in. He knows the Vatican, and by extension his mentor, aren’t very welcome in the closed ranks of the Order, but he figures whatever suspicions they have won’t carry over to him.

It’s the first time he’s been considered for such an important job, gathering information from the inside. For all that they’ve stressed it’s a matter of extreme importance, Lavi can’t help feeling a little excited. He’s been begging for an adventure his whole life, and from the sounds of things, he’s about to get it.


End file.
